Acrylic paints

jimnrose

Member
Does anyone have a preference on acrylic paint brands? Also are there favorite colors that correlate to railroad colors? I'm just getting into painting structures and landscaping but found the color "Toffee" is a pretty good match for "rust" & "Timberline Green" is a pretty good "earth" color.
Take care, Jim
 

Woodie

Active Member
Jim,

I use a lot of acrylic paint. The brand is not important. I use Artist's Acrylic paint from an artist/hobbycraft shop. There are 2 qualities. "Student" and "Professional". I use the "student" quality, as it is nearly 50% cheaper. The consistency of these paints is about that of a well beaten cake mix, or toothpaste (if in a tube). Small tubs of the paint are fine and should keep your whole layout covered in paint! Cost should be about $2.50 US for a 7oz pot. A 7oz pot should be more than ample.

COLOURS: I use anything that has "natural" pigments. oxides (red), burnt timber (brown), charcoal/carbon (black, ochre (yellow), bassalt (blue/black), plants/lichen (greens). These sorts of things occur in nature, so should occur on your scenery. Toffee does not occur in nature. eg. Red Oxide's pigment is actually iron oxide (rust).

I use these paints on scenery, (plaster) track ties (plastic) structures (balsa wood) and buildings (printed cardstock to enhance the features (guttering, pipes etc) ROllingstock/loco kits etc I use Floquil or Humbrol. DO NOT USE household acrylic paints.

SCENERY: FIrstly, for plaster based scenery, I colour the plaster to the same colour as the dirt/rock of my prototype. 1/2 teaspoon of paint to 1 cup plaster mix. My prototype is sandstone, so I used Yellow Ochre for this) (I mix the plaster to the consistency of unwhipped cream). The addition of the 1/2 teaspoon of paint thickens the plaster considerably). For granite you may wish to use a dark blue/black. paint or "sculpt" this mixture on your scenery base. Carve you rocks if you desire, but I find the brush strokes leave enough grain in the rock to work with. You now have basic rock/dirt to work with. Feel free to mix/match the colours. You will become a famous artist aferwards!!!

Of course weather has an effect, so that is next. mix 1/4 teaspoon paint with 1 cup water and dab/pour this over the base rock and let it run down the crevices. you will instantly see the effect of "weathering" use 2 - 3 colours for this. For sandstone, I used red oxide burnt umber then a light wash of black. For granite, I would use a blue/black wash with a dark green one (moss, lichen) then black. Be as randon as you can with the wash, just as nature is.

Then cover with your favourite ground cover.
Just remember to disect the colours of you prototype and match them with the "natural" pigments of the acrylic paints.

Your ground cover should be built up, again as nature did it. Use a "dirt/rock" coloured material, followed by the greens/browns etc. You may end up covering 99% of your rock base, but you will see the effect show through your ground cover.

Other sructures (balsawood platform etc) I just use the full strength paint. (umber for timber supports or planks, black for bitumen paving. ochres/oxides for dirt etc.

I use burnt umber to weather the track ties followed by a mix of burnt umber and red oxide to weather (rust) the rails. lightly sand the tops of the rails afterwards of course.

Hope this helps.

My prototype: Note the colour of the soil and vegetation.
DunedooSignalBox.JPG

DunedooStationBright.JPG
]


My Layout: Note the colour of the soil and vegetation.
Garahbara03.JPG

Garahbara02.JPG


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TOOT!

Click here for Garahbara Railway

[This message has been edited by Woodie (edited 07-25-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Woodie (edited 07-25-2001).]
 

Furtak

New Member
I'm afraid I can't match the previous response by "Woodie" but I can add from my experience. I go to Walmart for my acrylics which I pay .89 cents. I also use the acrylics for structures, rolling stock and motive power wheathering (chalk as well from Walmart for weathering) and scenery.

Hope this helps,



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jimnrose

Member
Woodie, thanks for your inputs and photos. I'll follow your advise. Have you been successful simulated a large concrete structure? I've put together a plastic kit (granite mill) but painting the surface a light gray to simulate concrete just isn't cutting it. Should I roughen the surface before paiinting and should I be using different shades of gray to get a blend?

Furtak, thanks for your inputs. I'll try Walmart for chalks. I get 2 oz acrylics for $.25 or $.50 (US) depending on the sale at a craft shop (A.C.Moore).
Take care, Jim
 

Woodie

Active Member
Jim,

I only use the acrylic paints for scenery and the odd structure. I have seen wheat concrete silos modelled, and Floquil have a colour called "aged concrete" I have used that for platform facings and such. With the acrylics may be try yellow ochre with a tiny small drop of dark brown, and top up with white until you acheive the right shade.

Good Luck!

------------------
TOOT!

Click here for Garahbara Railway
 
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